Oleander, an attractive and robust plant, has in addition to
its pink coloured Meditterrenean (endemic) varieties also
other tropical varieties. Many of the tropical varieties have
smells. With hybridisation programmes more than 500
varieties have
been obtained. There are more than 230 varieties in the
French National Collection. In our country in the absence of
relevant societies and clubs, oleander varieties have not
received much attention. To our knowledge, with 30 varieties,
our collection is the largest in Turkey.

The most prominent of the
collection is Nerium oleander “Esener” It has sickle shape
variegated leaves and pinkish-white simple flowers. As it
first grown in
our nurseries, it
is not available
anywhere else in the world, but from our
nursery. It will be on sale in
the second half of 2007.

What you didn’t know about Oleanders

Oleander “Nerium oleander” is well known by the world for its
toxicity. In Turkey it is incorrectly believed to be a
useful plant for fighting “cancer”. With its colourful
flowers, and contrary to its innocent appearence, all
parts of this attractive shrub type plant are poisonous.

The toxicity of this plant was known since early history.
Many horses of Alexander the Great 's army were killed in
Iran by the the retreating soldiers who poisoned their water
with oleanders. Similarly soldiers who barbecued meat on
skews made from Oleander plants were unable to take part in
the war.

Deaths related to ingestion of Oleanders are rare.
Nevertheless in Australia some fatalities were reported
after ingestion of Oleander flowers, particularly by
children. In 1986 an elderly woman was reported to have died
with severe heart failure after having drunk an infusion
made with Oleander leaves by error, instead of Eucaliptus
leaves.

Oleander being a big shrub sometimes becomes host to, as
some other plants and trees. Mistletoe “viscum album” is
known as a parasitic plant and used in medicine for its
blood pressure reducing properties. However, if Mistletoe
taken from an Oleander host, may have received poisenous sap
from Oleander and itself can be poisonous.

Some insects are not affected by the Oleander poison. Danaid
type butterflies suck sap from Oleanders and keep it in
their special cells. Birds eating these butterflies suffer
from vomiting and diarrhoea, and they never touch these
brilliantly coloured butterflies again.

In the Middle Eastern Countries where Oleander is endemic, a
type of grasshopper sucks and stores sap from Oleander, and
projects it, to its enemies when in danger. This is a rare
example of animals using plants to their advantage in nature.

When burnt in open fires and stoves Oleander also gives
toxic fumes, and this requires attention.